Two Blues Solar has partnered with leading local pub company Marston’s PLC and installer Nuvolt to deploy solar across 120 of the Marston’s community-based pubs over the next 12 months.
The £5.4m initiative, fully financed by Atrato Onsite Energy, operates through a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) – a long-term contract in which Marston’s will purchase 100% of the renewable energy generated on its roofs rather than owning the solar equipment. This arrangement guarantees certainty of energy prices for 25 years, protecting Marston’s from market volatility whilst delivering immediate cost savings for the pub group.
The project will also contribute to Marston’s sustainability strategy and ambitious 2040 Net Zero targets, as each installation is expected to generate approximately 30,000 kWh of electricity annually, meeting c.15-20% of an individual pub’s energy demand. The rollout will reduce Marston’s carbon emissions by 600 tonnes in the first year, equivalent to removing 430 cars from the road.
“As the UK’s leading local pub company, we are committed to reducing our impact on the environment, as we work towards a greener future for our guests, our people and the communities we serve.” said Andy Kershaw, Director of Investment at Marston’s. “Through this partnership, we can now significantly accelerate the rollout of solar across our community-based pub estate without diverting capital from our core operations, which will help our pubs make the transition to renewable energy while reducing our total emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.”
The partnership leans on the expertise of Two Blues Solar and Nuvolt to deliver an efficient, repeatable process. Two Blues Solar is the developer, managing the overall project and coordinating with all stakeholders. Nuvolt, which established the initial relationship with Marston’s as their preferred installer, handles the technical installation and has played an instrumental role in understanding the project’s requirements. Atrato Onsite Energy funds the rollout, retains ownership of the systems throughout the PPA term and handles the ongoing monitoring.
The rollout started in January, with installation teams working simultaneously across multiple sites to complete 10 systems per month. Each installation takes two to three weeks and has no impact on regular business activities. The partners expect to complete this initial rollout of 120 pubs by Q2 2026.
“This is the first multi-site Power Purchase Agreement rollout of its kind for a large pub chain in the UK,” said Daniel Levene, Co-founder of Two Blues Solar. “Many traditional PPA providers shy away from clients with fragmented estates due to administrative complexity. Our standardised framework simplifies deployment across hundreds of sites, offering Marston’s a single, predictable energy rate for 25 years—insulating them from market swings while removing upfront costs.”
While PPAs have become a well-recognised solar funding solution for large manufacturers, they remain far less established for multi-site portfolios of small sites. This is due to the complexity of ownership structures, administrative burdens and technical variations between sites. The model developed for this project by Two Blues Solar standardises commercial terms without sacrificing site-specific customisation, allowing for implementation at scale.
